"The Gulf/2000 Project was created in 1993 as a service to scholars, government officials, business people, journalists and other specialists who have a professional association with the Persian Gulf and Gulf studies.

"The Gulf/2000 project addresses major issues concerning the Gulf region on a multi-dimensional basis. It has several objectives:

To establish a network of specialists from every Gulf country and throughout the world to exchange information and expertise on important issues, regardless of political or ideological affiliation.

To organize a series of conferences and workshops where participants can get to know each other and become accustomed to an exchange of views on a Gulf-wide basis.

To establish and maintain an electronic library, research facility and live information exchange on the Internet, accessible to all participants in the project. The creation of an "electronic community" permits participants to maintain contact on a continuous basis and is intended to promote an on-going dialogue among a larger group of experts than those able to attend the workshops.

To commission a series of research papers from experts in the field to examine long-term trends affecting the future stability and security of the Persian Gulf region. These papers serve as the intellectual agenda for the workshops and are edited and published as research texts.

"Nine international conferences have been held. The first was at the ENI training facility at Castelgandolfo, Italy, in July 1994. The second meeting, which focused on security issues, was held in March 1995 at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The third conference was held at the Rockefeller Foundation estate at Bellagio in northern Italy in late July 1995. The fourth, in conjunction with the International Institute of Strategic Studies and Qatar, was held in Doha in the fall of 1997. The fifth, again at the ENI center in Italy, was held in late July 1998. The sixth, which focused on 'Iran in the 21st Century,' was sponsored by the Centre for World Dialogue in Nicosia, Cyprus, in June 1999. In November 1999, the seventh conference was held in Salalah, Oman, on the subject of Confidence-Building Measures in the Gulf. The eighth meeting, which examined 'the Future of Iraq,' was held in July 2000 in collaboration with the Centre for World Dialogue in Nicosia, Cyprus.

"Gulf/2000 convened its ninth international conference from October 22-26, 2001 on the topic of 'Unfinished Business: Iran, Iraq and the Aftermath of War.' The meeting was held at the invitation of the Rockefeller Foundation at their conference center in Bellagio, Italy. Sixteen experts were present, drawn primarily from Iran and Iraq, along with a few outside specialists. The idea for the meeting was to begin to work out a road map for reconciliation between the two states, in light of the "cold peace" that has prevailed since the end of hostilities in 1988. A number of original papers were prepared to help clarify the mutual relationship -- how it developed historically, how it rapidly deteriorated when war broke out in 1980. These papers, with several additions, are currently being prepared for publication."